Guidance for Substitute Vehicle Private Hire Car Licence

Before Submitting Your Application

The Licensing Authority has a policy on the minimum criteria for vehicles to be licensed as a Private Hire Car; you should ensure that your proposed vehicle meets the criteria.

• Any proposed vehicle must be of a make and model approved by the Authority. The criteria for approval includes the following requirements:
  • at least 4 doors;
  • 4 passenger seats (not including the driver);
  • each seat pad is 16" in width, or in the case of a bench seat, 48"/122cm;
  • steering wheel must be fitted to the offside of the vehicle at point of manufacture;
  • body of the vehicle must be of a fixed head type (not convertible);
  • anti lock braking system; o driver and front passenger air bags;
  • 3 point seat belts for all seats; o side impact bars or suitable equivalent;
  • no steps within the passenger compartment;
  • windows that permit the passengers and driver to be clearly viewed from outside the vehicle;
  • Not a re-registered vehicle;
  • M1 Whole Vehicle type approval.

For more information on approved Private Hire Car makes and models or to check if your proposed vehicle is of an approved type you can contact the Authority using the contact details at the end of this guidance.

• Any proposed vehicle must have a minimum engine power output of 73 bhp; this is equivalent to a minimum output of 74PS or 54.4kw. The V5 registration document details the engine power of a vehicle.
• Any proposed vehicle must be less than five years old on the date the application for substitution is made unless the vehicle has been licensed by this Authority as a Private Hire Car within the previous 12 months. The age of a vehicle is determined by the date of registration as reflected on the V5 registration document.

Submitting Your Application

To apply to substitute your vehicle you should complete the Online Application Form with the relevant fee.

Application Fee

The current application fee is £27.00. The fee is payable when the application is lodged and is non-refundable.  You are also required to pay £17.00 for a replacement set of Private Hire Car identification plates and £8.00 for replacement door signage.  

Please note that there is a separate fee payable for the inspection of your proposed vehicle.

How to make payment?

Applications can be lodged online and preferred payment should be made by BACS Transfer (electronic banking) to the Licensing Board Account. When making payments please quote Reference: Sub/Plate No as detailed below:-

Account Name: Glasgow City Council - Licensing
Account No. 00116224
Sort Code: 83-44-00
Reference: Sub/Plate No 

Payment submitted by post should be in the form of Cheque or Postal Order. All Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to Glasgow City Council. Do not send cash by post.

Please note that your application will not be formally lodged until payment has been received.  The fees are non-refundable. 

Timescale for Completion

You have 28 days from the date the application is submitted to arrange for the proposed vehicle to be inspected and complete the full procedure. If you have not produced the required documentation within this period then your application will be withdrawn.

Please note that all timescales referred to in this document are subject to this overall timescale for substituting the vehicle.

Arranging Inpsection of Your Proposed Substitute Vehicle

Before presenting the substitute vehicle for inspection you will require to:

• telephone the Inspection Centre Booking Line for an appointment on 0141 287 3326 between the hours of 9.00 am - 4.30pm Monday to Sunday (except public and bank holidays). Please state that you require a substitute vehicle inspection and quote your receipt number. If you require a dual MOT test you must advise the booking line when arranging your inspection.
• have the engine and underside of the vehicle thoroughly cleaned;
• have a fire extinguisher of an approved type (constructed in compliance with BSEN 3-5 1996 and maintained as per BS50306 Part 3 1985) fitted in the vehicle; and
• remove all seat covers.

If you are unable to attend a scheduled inspection you should contact the Inspection Centre to cancel your booking. If you fail to attend your scheduled inspection or you cancel giving less than 24 hours notice then you will be charged for the inspection.

Presenting Your Proposed Subsititute Vehicle for Inspection

The Inspection Centre is located at:

Motor Transport Section
Land and Environmental Services
425 Polmadie Road
Glasgow G42 0PJ

To enter the Inspection Centre, turn left before the weigh bridge and follow the signs on the road.

Please arrange to arrive promptly at the Inspection Centre at the date and time of your scheduled inspection.

You must produce the receipt for your substitute vehicle application to the Examiner and pay the required fee of £48.50 for inspection of your proposed vehicle.

If the proposed substitute vehicle passes inspection you will be issued with a pass certificate and in the case of a dual test an MOT certificate for which an additional fee of £21.50 is payable at the Inspection Centre. Should you require an MOT Certificate you must book this at the same time as booking your inspection.

If the vehicle fails inspection you may be given a certificate to that effect. The vehicle should be presented for re-testing at the Inspection Centre within 14 days. A fee of £32.50 is payable at the Inspection Centre for this purpose.

Completing the Substitute Vehicle Process

Once the vehicle has passed inspection you must:

• Complete a 'production of substitution documentation' form (which is obtained at the time of inspection) and submit this along with a valid certificate of insurance for private hire car purposes to the admin team at the inspection centre.
• This documentation along with the pass certificate will be emailed to the Licensing Section who will review the documents within one working day to ensure that they are acceptable.
• If the documents are not acceptable, you will be contacted by the Licensing Section in order to resolve the matter.
• If the documents are acceptable, you will be emailed to confirm that the new vehicle is now licensed and advising how and when to collect your new identification plates for the vehicle.
• To be issued with your identification plates, you must present the email to the Customer Service Agents at the City Centre Service Desk along with
  • photographic identification in the form of either your taxi/private hire car driver's identification badge or passport or two other means of identification bearing your name and current address (i.e. Driver's Licence, Council Tax Demand Notice, gas/electricity/telephone/credit card bill or statement); and
  • the vehicle identification plates for your currently licensed vehicle unless these have been previous returned to the Licensing Authority. If you are unable to produce vehicle identification plates then you must provide a written explanation as to why the plates cannot be returned.

Important

The substitute vehicle is not licensed and must not be used for Private Hire purposes until you receive a confirmation email from the Licensing Authority that the vehicle has passed inspection and is properly insured. The insurance certificate must be in the name of either:

1. the licence holder; or
2. the named day to day manager; or
3. all named partners or directors "trading as" the licence holder.

The private hire car licence will be retained, amended and where appropriate, posted out to you.

Please note also that should you provide inaccurate information on your application and the identification plates have been prepared you will be charged for these and any subsequent identification plates.

Can I get further information

If you have any further questions about the application process the Council's Licensing Team will be happy to assist you. Please note that whilst the Licensing Team can provide guidance, the team cannot offer you legal advice.

You can contact us by phone on 0141 287 5354 or by Email.